Kim Jong Un promises support for a “just fight” against Ukraine
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed support for Russia’s war against Ukraine during his meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
Damien Henderson, Associated Press
Explosions and fire rocked a key Russian shipyard in occupied Crimea on Wednesday as a Ukrainian attack damaged a ship and a submarine, killing two people and wounding dozens more, authorities said.
The submarine Rostov-on-Don and the large landing ship Minsk were in dry dock for repairs when Ukrainian forces struck the Sevmorzavod shipyard with 10 cruise missiles and three unmanned boats, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The shipyard in Sevastopol is the home base of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.
The Defense Ministry said seven missiles and the boats had been destroyed and that its ships were being repaired and returned to service. Ukrainian authorities said the ships appeared to have been destroyed and the shipyard’s infrastructure was damaged.
The attack also temporarily paralyzed traffic on the bridge over the Kerch Strait, which connects Crimea with Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly called for the return of Crimea, citing concessions Russia must make to end the war. Zelensky adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said the attack was a necessary response to the Russian blockade that has prevented Ukrainian ships from delivering essential grain to Africa and elsewhere.
“The demilitarization of the Russian Black Sea Fleet is a real, long-term guarantee of the security of regional trade routes and the grain corridor,” Podolyak said.
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War developments:
∎ Ukraine’s war-torn power grid is being prepared for colder weather and will be ready for winter, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
∎ Germany announced a new aid package for Ukraine, which includes 20 Marder armored personnel carriers, two mine clearing vehicles, 20 reconnaissance drones, 10 drone detection systems and a satellite system as well as other vehicles and ammunition.
G7 foreign ministers “unequivocally condemn” the holding of sham elections held by Russia last week in the occupied territories of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia Oblasts and Crimea, the ministers said in a joint statement on Wednesday. United Russia, a popular party in Russia that supports Russian leader Vladimir Putin, won overwhelming victories in parliamentary elections, the Kremlin said. But the G7 dismissed the vote as a “propaganda exercise” intended to legitimize the illegal occupation of Ukrainian territory.
“These sham elections represent a further violation of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and the UN Charter,” the statement said, adding that the seven countries “will continue to provide financial, humanitarian, security and diplomatic support that Ukraine needs.” for as long as it takes.
The US could have the first Ukrainian pilots trained on F-16 fighter jets by the end of the year, but it will take longer for them to fly combat missions, the director of the US Air National Guard said on Tuesday. Lt. Gen. Michael Loh said Ukrainian pilots will be checked for English proficiency before they are scheduled to arrive at Morris Air National Guard Base in Arizona by month’s end. The training should last about three months, but the pilots would then have to return to Europe for NATO training, said Loh.
“It’s a national priority,” Loh said.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told Putin that his country will always stand by Moscow as it defends its security interests on the “anti-imperialist front,” as the two authoritarian leaders met on Wednesday at a space base and an adjacent missile facility in a remote corner Eastern Russia.
According to Russian state media, which published some of their remarks addressed to reporters, face-to-face talks between Kim and Putin at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Siberia lasted four to five hours. The talks offer an opportunity for Russia to obtain much-needed weapons – and for Kim to appear on a global stage after years of oppressive international sanctions.
“There is a bitter conflict … between progress and reactionism, between justice and injustice,” Kim said at a lunch hosted by Putin, whom Kim called “Comrade Putin.” “The process of a multipolar world is actively developing thanks to the common will and joint strength of independent forces.”
The United Nations has passed nearly a dozen resolutions sanctioning North Korea over its development of nuclear weapons and related activities. Putin said the two countries could cooperate on transportation and other projects and that Russia could help North Korea with agricultural development.
An arms deal would violate international sanctions that Russia has supported in the past. When asked about military cooperation, Putin acknowledged that “there are certain restrictions, Russia follows them all.” But he added: “There are things we can talk about, discuss and think about.”
When Kim and Putin toured the facility, Putin said they would discuss “all issues.” He also said North Korea’s leader was interested in getting Russian help in developing satellites for its space program. Kim offered Putin his country’s “full and unconditional support” for Russia’s “just struggle,” an apparent reference to the war in Ukraine.
“We are confident that the Russian army and people will definitely achieve a great victory in the holy struggle to punish the accumulation of evil,” Kim said. It was not immediately clear who he was referring to.
Russian news agency RIA Novosti said that after talks with Putin, North Korea’s reclusive leader boarded his luxury armored train and began the long journey back to Pyongyang. On the way home, he was scheduled to make two more stops in Russian cities to visit factories producing civilian and military equipment.
If an arms deal occurred, it was kept secret.
According to the Council on Foreign Relations, North Korea has the fourth-largest military in the world, with more than 1.2 million soldiers. Analysts believe the country has a stockpile of bullets and artillery shells as well as chemical and biological weapons. It has successfully tested nuclear-armed missiles capable of hitting the United States
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As the war in Ukraine continues, Russia needs to replenish its ammunition. This was a key factor in an ill-fated two-day uprising by Wagner Group mercenaries after their leader berated the Russian Defense Ministry for not supplying enough ammunition.
“I think it says a lot that Russia has to turn to a country like North Korea to strengthen its defense capability in a war that it expected to be over in a week and that it would be over in September 2023 North Korea will go.” “To get ammunition to continue grinding on the battlefield in Ukraine,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said at a White House briefing last week.
Contribution: The Associated Press